Avengers Rising
by cosmic.cowgirl
Summary: Post CA:TWS - What do the Avengers do now that Hydra is everywhere, Bucky is lost, and the world's resources are scattered? Move into Stark tower, hire an assistant, and do whatever the hell Hawkeye tells you. Will include Bucky, Sam, and all the Avengers.
1. Prologue: Stage is set

This is my first time publishing on this site. If all goes well, this will be a long-ish story. It's going to have a bit more emphasis on Bucky Barnes, Thor, and Hawkeye – though not necessarily in that order, or all together.

Please let me know if you actually read this and like it, because it will definitely influence how much I write. There will be more action soon too, I promise.

**Prologue**

_Somewhere underground_

Baron von Strucker was a simple man. He was a man of science, facts, and cold hard truth. Ideas came and went like seasons. Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., both two sides of a coin that was no longer currency, as he told his assistant. Ideas came and went. Power was forever, and nothing gave you more power than a miracle.

"The age of miracles has begun."

Von Strucker turned to his assistants.

"How long until the drone is complete?"

"Our engineers need at least three more weeks."

"Make sure that's all it takes. We must coordinate each attack precisely."

"The outposts in Norway are reporting everything is proceeding on schedule."

"Good. And the arm?"

"That's the best news; we've unlocked the tracker."

"Then we must move now. We must get to him first."

_DC – Sam Wilson residence _

Steve heard Sam scrambling eggs in the kitchen when he walked in. Sam's apartment was still a nice place to lay low and eat breakfast. It wasn't in any former SHIELD files and it had a nice TV.

Sam dropped a plate in front of Steve as he sat down.

"We got a plan for the day?"

"Nope."

"So, I was thinking. Maybe its time to hand this one over to Fury's people for now. Wait until some solid leads pop up."

Sam and Steve had been following every lead they could find in the winter soldier folder. All the threads Natasha said not to pull on, Steve pulled on. He'd visited a high security base in Russia, broken into several hydra safe houses, harassed anyone he thought had information. Nothing had turned up.

"I'm just thinking, you know, we've been to every city Bucky set foot in since hydra took him. We've tracked his steps through every mission. We're out of leads."

Steve knew he was right. They'd even called Fury in Europe and asked for some assistance. He had what Sam called 'Fury's people', a group of former SHIELD agents that were trustworthy and resourceful. They managed to get as much done with their new limited resources now as they did as part of SHIELD. Fury assured Steve his team was running facial recognition software through every camera in the world they could access.

"I'm not sure I want Fury finding him first."

"I'm not sure we have a choice. Fury's people got a lot more eyes than we do, and a lot more resources."

"I know it probably seems pointless now, but he's out there somewhere, and I'm afraid what will happen if I don't get to him first."

"Afraid what he'll do if you don't?"  
"Yes. And what someone might do to him."

Sam chewed his bacon and let that thought sit for a while. "He's not attacking anyone. So we've got that going for us. Hey man," Sam said, cutting off Steve's sad look, "he's going to be ok. He's highly trained, and he's resourceful."

Sam didn't say what he was thinking. Winter Soldier – no, Bucky – didn't want to be found. Especially by Steve. He wasn't the same man. He was a stranger and he might not want the answers Steve had for him.

"Whether I like it or not, we've got to wait for Fury's people now. There isn't much else I can do. I appreciate you sticking with this Sam. You don't have to."

"And you don't have to keep saying that. Dude, helping Captain America is still the best reason to be back in."

_New York City – apartment building_

Jane Foster had been invited by Stark's R&amp;D department to continue her research in New York. With double the funding and a new swanky place to stay, that was an offer she couldn't pass up.

Thor was carrying a box up the stairs into the new apartment in Manhattan. He suspected it carried even more of Jane's clothing. After he returned to her in London, he'd been staying with her and Darcy and Selvig, learning about Earth and spending a lot of time with Jane.

Jane was directing people around. Darcy was downstairs in her own place, and Selvig was up one floor. Maria Hill of Stark Industries was overseeing the move. She was the unofficial liaison between the world and the avengers. She arranged everything for them: plane tickets, meals, security, housing, all of it.

Jane pecked Thor on the cheek and pointed him towards the bedroom. He dropped the box on the floor and returned to the living room. They were nearly done, and now he had an evening of unpacking to look forward too. He was actually pleased to be participating; moving wasn't a custom for royalty in Asgard. Plus, something about the process made Jane giddy, and giddy Jane was always good in his book.

Maria Hill had been waiting to talk business with him for a while.

"Thor, if we could talk about some of these appearances?"

"What is the purpose of me appear at these gatherings? You've yet to explain their significance."

"You're an Asgardian, and for some people a God. There's a lot of talk – not necessarily good talk – and we think it would be really helpful for everyone to see you make an appearance. Reassure Earth that you're here to help."

"And meeting with these..." he searched for the word, "Politicians will help the public feel safer?"  
"Make a speech, shake some hands, mingle a bit with the general audience, yes. It will help. Especially if you can make it to some regions where you aren't considered a deity. It'll diminish the claim of superiority coming from the North."

Thor had been briefed already on that situation. A few groups of Midgardians, claiming to be superior because they worshipped Thor, and he stood now in the flesh among them. He hoped to avoid doing any more damage to the realm, and if a few appearances would lessen the chance of violence, it was a small price to pay.

"When would I leave? I've only just settled Jane here."

"Oh, you'll have plenty of time to get her settled and to prepare. Two, maybe three weeks. These are the various events we've marked as potential appearance options. Look them over and next week we'll talk about which ones you like. We want you to have as much say in this as possible."

"I appreciate your help, Agent Hill. I am eager to put any worries to rest."

"Enjoy New York," and Agent Hill was gone, along with the rest of the moving crew.

Thor sat at the kitchen table and flipped open the file. He skimmed the pages briefly.

"_Inauguration, unveiling, boat race, peacemaking games…" _

Jane leaned on his shoulder from behind him and placed a small box in his lap.

"What's this?"  
"I told you, I want your family to be represented too. It's our place."

Thor opened the box. Inside was a green gemstone set in gold. Loki's colors.

"Jane, are you certain you want-"

"Shhh, there's more."

He pulled out a silver crest, the sigil of Frigga, placed among a circle of beautiful glittering stones.

"Jane, these are beautiful."

"I wanted you to remember your family while you're here. I miss them too,"  
"I wouldn't fault you for excluding Loki in that,"

"No, you loved him. I understand why. And he saved my life too, you know."

They placed both items on the shelf next to their small fireplace. There were pictures of Jane's parents, some friends, the avengers crammed into a press conference photo looking scowly. Darcy and Selvig in New Mexico before Thor arrived. It was feeling like a home already. It made Thor's chest feel tight.

_DC – midnight_

Steve was getting off his bike in front of his new apartment. He'd gone to the movies late with Sam and some of his VA friends, then hit up a diner for fries. He locked his garage door and went around to the front to unlock his door. He was putting the key in the lock when he saw it – a glint of metal. He turned and saw him, or someone, standing on a roof two stories up. Steve couldn't make out the build of the person, it was too dark and their clothes were too baggy. But _there_, metal glinted where a left hand should be.

_Bucky_

Steve was moving before he could think about it. Over the fence, across the yard, up the stairs, over the fence again. Listening, looking, praying.

It was thirty minutes before he gave up. He wasn't sure exactly when he lost them, but they were gone. Too stealthy for him.

He called Sam when he got home. He offered to come over. Steve turned him down. Said they'd regroup in the morning.

"It could have been someone else," Steve suggested.  
"Which might be an even worse scenario. What if hydra's scoping out your place right now?"

"Then I'll call you back."

Steve didn't sleep well. He was thinking of Bucky in baggy clothes on a street corner eating out of a dumpster. No memory of who he was. Nowhere to go. Killing anyone that asked him any questions. _He's the kind of guy you stop. _


	2. Chapter 1 Beaches and Surfing

Ok, so I got some good feedback and I'm starting a second chapter. Thanks for the reviews guys, I am super pumped people actually read this.

**Chapter 1**

**Beaches and Surfing **

_DC – Steve Rogers Residence _

Steve debated calling Fury the next morning to tell him about his maybe-Bucky sighting. On the one hand, backup would be nice. On the other, Fury might still be upset Bucky nearly killed him.

"Maybe call Natasha, give her the info, see what she says," Sam suggested.

"And wait around while she tells Fury. I don't think so."

"You really think she'd do that if you asked her not to? Maybe don't tell her, but she seems like the right person to talk to if you ask me."

Steve thought about it all morning as he lapped Sam on their run, and through breakfast, and while he sat at the mechanics waiting on his bike.

Assuming Natasha was safe to talk to, Steve wondered how much help she'd actually be. He'd barely heard from her since she ran off to find herself a new cover. Hell, he'd spoken to Stark and Banner more than Romanoff. He strongly suspected her cover-finding activities involved a beach and a cold drink somewhere. She'd earned it, after all.

On the other hand, she'd gotten him the original files. She obviously had connections in places he never would. Maybe one call to scope out her position would be good.

"Romanoff."

"It's Steve."

"I know. How's married life with Sam going?" She asked innocently. Steve could hear a computer beeping in the background.  
"Very funny. Where are you?"

"You called to get my location?"

"I – No, look I have some questions about that file you got me, but I need it to stay between us." 

"I told you to be careful. There are a lot of people in that file you don't want to upset."

"Just tell me if this is going to stay private. I don't want Fury involved."

"Believe it or not, Fury's got bigger fish to fry than your brainwashed friend." When Steve stayed silent she continued. "Look, not only does Fury not give a rats ass about the winter soldier, I wouldn't tell him anything you didn't want me to. Not about this."

"Then what would you say if I told you he was outside my place last night?"  
"Fury? I'd call it a crush." Steve snorted.

"I'm serious. I'm not sure it was really him, but it looked like a metal arm to me."

He recounted the events of the evening to her. Natasha listened without comment and was quiet on the other line for a while.

"Look, I know you want Fury out of it, but can I run this by someone else? We've been working some hydra cases lately and this might tie in."

"You think Bucky's still part of hydra?"

"No. We think hydra wants him back on ice to wipe him, and they'd take serious risks to find him. If there is a hydra connection, we could follow it."

"You've been working hydra cases?"

"What, did you think I was sitting on some beach tanning?"

Steve didn't answer that.

_New York – Jane Foster Residence_

"Son of Coul!"

"Thor, it is good to see you," Coulson put his hand out to shake, but Thor seemed set on a bear hug.  
"I'm so happy you could travel here to New York to visit us. Have you come with business?"

"Yes, although I was more interested in catching up with you. Agent Hill sent some paperwork over that we need to go through. Is now good?"

"Yes, yes of course. Here, let us sit at the coffee table. Which I am told is different from a dining table."

"Very different!" Jane insisted from the kitchen. She walked out and shook hands with Coulson. "Agent Coulson, I'm glad you're here. Thor and I were just discussing the best restaurant in town for Peruvian."

"Oh, the Joyful Llama, no doubt. I recommend whatever special they have. The chef is amazing."

"I knew he was a foodie," Jane said, setting water down for both of them. "We've been trying to give Thor a taste of all the different foods Earth has to offer."

"New York is a great city for that."

"I have to get back to the lab, short lunch break and everything. But stop by whenever you want, Coulson. Darcy will be sad she missed you." And she was out the door in a blur of lab books and brown hair.

"Scientists have a way of always looking so busy," Coulson mused.

"I have found it is better to sit in one place and let Jane move around me," Thor advised, "rather than follow her throughout her day. She moves quickly."

Coulson smiled at the idea of an Asgardian prince having to follow any woman around, but that was Thor. He didn't see things like that. And he obviously thought Jane was the bees knees.

Thor poured them both coffee while Coulson laid out some papers on the table and began explaining.

"Agent Hill said you highlighted the peacemaking games. I think that's a great choice."

"I did not want to appear at any event of a serious nature. I felt that would not convey the message I want to send. The games of your realm seemed the best way to show my good will."

"The games are a combination of a few international sports, the highland games most commonly associated with Scotland, and a few other competitions. The United Nations is organizing with a variety of sponsors. They're hoping to create an event similar to the Olympics with the express purpose of promoting cooperation between nations," Coulson was paraphrasing from the paperwork.

Thor nodded. He'd seen the Olympics on the television. Darcy had found recordings for him. She was particularly good at guessing what television programs he would enjoy most.

"We need to brief you on the major political players that will attend. Agent Hill outlined everything you'll need to know about each nation and their representatives." Coulson slid a thick dossier across the table. "I trust your judgment in these situations. I assume these situations were common as a prince of Asgard. With this information you'll be able to decide the best people to shake hands with."

"I appreciate your trust, Agent Coulson. Many here forget that I am a prince and an accomplished leader in my own realm."

"You're a people person. I think you'll go over great with the crowd at the games. It should be fun," Coulson had his sly smile on. "Have you done much travelling since you moved in with Jane?"

"No, unfortunately I haven't had the chance. Agent Hill does not want me going alone and Jane is preoccupied with her research. She cannot be away from it for long. "

"Well, Agent Hill thought it might be helpful for you, as the only representative of Asgard, to travel. And she wanted to show you this," Coulson pulled out another packet. "A list of potential travel guides. People she could hire to take you around Earth, get you exposed to the different cultures we have. I personally think you'd love Australia. Have you ever been surfing?"

"No. "

"Eat much seafood in Asgard?"

"Not that I am aware."

"Well, you'd probably enjoy it. Consider it. Portland is nice this time of year too. You could hit the mountain, try some skiing. Traveling independently could do as much good for your image here as anything else."

"Thank you. I will read this as well." Thor was beginning to feel like a child with homework.

Coulson made a few more food recommendations and small talk, but had to leave to get back to his team.

"I'll be traveling with you during the games. We can tackle all of this then."

"Thank you, Phillip. I look forward to our travels."

Thor looked at the date. Two weeks and a few days away. He wanted to be sure he understood all the complexities of these games and their politics. The unrest was growing in many nations regarding Asgard and their intent.

"_A chance to celebrate our unique and wonderful planet and the people who inhabit_

_it."_

The headline across the top of the peacemaking games invitation.

It was made out to Thor Odinson in large black letters. He covered the Odinson with his finger and considered the name _Thor _by itself for a moment. _Thor_,_ son of no one. _

Or perhaps, _Thor God of Thunder _was enough for Earth. His friends here seemed content enough with it. Thor smiled at that.

_Somewhere Classified_

Hawkeye hated sewers. He hated them and he hated this country. Nothing ever good happened when he took jobs in this country.

He was halfway up the ladder to finish the job and get out of the damn place when his phone rang. He knew the number.

"This better be important."

"I'm always important," Widow said on the other end.

"I'm in a damn sewer. It's a little difficult to talk right now."

"Steve thinks he had a sighting last night. "  
"Finally. Where?"  
"DC. Outside his place."

"He went back to DC? To Rogers? This isn't making sense."

"What makes less sense is that no one from hydra seems to be in the area. They're still where you are."

"Actually about that," Hawkeye trailed off as he waited for the footsteps above his head to pass. "They mobilized this morning. Hydra is on the move."

"So you think you've got it?"  
"We've got enough to go on for now. I'm about to close the deal. I'll call you after."

"Have fun."


	3. Chapter 2 Dinner and a Jet Plane

Next chapter! A little more action maybe? Or not, but it is longer! I don't know. I have this story planned out until the end now. I want to introduce some OCs but I want to do it, you know, _well_. So we'll see what happens.

**Chapter 2**

Two Weeks Later

_Steve Rogers Residence_

Steve woke up to the sound of a delivery truck outside his place early Friday morning. A few moments later a knock on the door. He rolled up, put on a shirt, and shuffled to the door.

He could see a UPS guy in the brown getup though the peephole. He had a medium sized brown box. Seemed bored with his life.

Steve signed for the box and took it into the kitchen. He considered it. Seemed harmless.

From: Buteo Jamaicensis, Jr.

_What? _

He shook it gently. No sound. Seemed to be packaged well. He typed the name into his Stark phone and his email. No hits. He googled the name to see what country it came from as he ate his breakfast.

_Buteo Jamaicensis, also known as the Red-tailed Hawk or chickenhawk, is the most common hawk of North America. _

Oh. _Oh._

So this was an important package from Hawkeye. Clever enough, Steve thought. And hopefully safe to open.

_Unless it isn't really Hawkeye, could be a trick._

Yeah, but this had Barton written all over it.

Steve got a knife and began carefully cutting through packaging tape. He opened the top slowly. Packaging peanuts. That was it. He stuck is hand slowly through the peanuts and found a peace of paper. It was Barton's messy scrawl in sharpie on a piece of yellow lined notepaper.

_If you're a patriot open this package _

What was it with Romanoff and Barton and their smiley faces?

Steve pulled out a box with a high tech gadget of some sort. He tried turning it on. No on button. No instructions. A few more pieces of gear, looked like an external hard drive maybe? And a few USB memory cards. Some cords. A big tablet thing of some kind. It had no logos on it. Not commercially made then. So no one who could tell him how to work it.

Steve was actually very proficient in technology all things considered, but this wasn't familiar in the least.

Sam texted, _Running today? _

_Something just came up. You any good with computers? _

_Did you get a virus watching porn? _

_It's avengers related_

_!_

Steve wasn't sure what that meant exactly but he was guessing Sam was on his way over. He fiddled with it while he waited but he couldn't find any switch or button on anything.

Sam showed up only ten minutes later.

"Dude! Avengers shit. Where? What's up, did you like get an assemble email or something?"

"I got this," Steve handed him the piece of tech.

"Woah, this is like some Stark shit right here," Sam said, taking it and turning it over in his hands.

"So this isn't some new ipod thing I just haven't learned about yet."

"No, this is like some fancy science equipment. What did you need help with?"

"I can't turn it on."

Sam died laughing.

* * *

Forty minutes later they were still sitting at the kitchen table trying to find an on button.

"So, you think maybe Hawkeye thought this would be really funny, to just send you some broken piece of crap and watch Captain America try to figure it out?"

"I really hope Hawkeye isn't watching this," Steve replied, flipping the hard drive onto the table in frustration.

There was a knock at the door. They made eye contact. _Weird time for a visitor. _

Steve looked through the peep hole. Natasha.

"Hey."

"Hey. Did you get it?"

"It? You mean the box, full of computers parts?"

"So that answers question two."

"Two?"

"Did you turn it on yet."

"Hello there," Sam said.

"Right, ok," Nat said, striding right into the house towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, make yourself at home," Steve said, closing the door. Sam had his shit eating grin on. "Please do."

Natasha was sitting down at the table unplugging all the cords Steve and Sam had plugged in earlier trying to figure the tech out. "I'd make some joke about the 1940's and antiques but Sam is half responsible for this."

Sam huffed. "This stuff isn't standard issue, for Apples stores or the Air Force."

"It's also got some tight security measures," Natasha said, pulling out the tablet looking device. "What's really funny about this is how much energy Barton put into this. He's a tech nerd. Probably had a blast putting this together."

She laid her palm flat against the screen of the tablet. A green light across the screen scanned her palm.

"Black Widow: authorized."

"Fancy."

Steve just waited. Fancy, maybe, but he wanted to know what the heck Hawkeye would send him via UPS that needed such high security measures.

"What is so important that Hawkeye would need to send me?" Steve finally asked, impatiently watching Natasha type away on the machine.

"Hand me that cord and the GPS right there," she said, gesturing to a USB cord and the other mysterious piece of tech. "I think he's giving you coordinates, but I'm not sure."

"Why is Hawkeye sending me coordinates? Of what?"

"Is this place secure?" Steve nodded.

"Barton has been working the connection between Winter Soldier and hydra since we fished you out of the Potomac. He knew finding the Soldier would be at the top of their list, and they'd take risks to find him. He said a couple weeks ago he was making big progress. Looks like this is it. He just called and told me to get over here to help you with it. Good thing," she added, smiling.

"I still don't understand. How can he follow a connection between hydra to Bucky? Nobody's seen Bucky since DC. There's nothing for hydra to follow."

"Not until two weeks ago," Natasha said, spinning the tablet around for Steve to look at.

"What is this?" Steve was looking at a map of Eastern Europe with a blinking red dot on it.

"Bucky's location. Live. Hydra has a track on him. Looks like Barton got you hooked into the same tracker. You've got a constant location on your friend."

Steve wasn't sure he believed it. An accurate, live location on Bucky any time he wanted?

"So we can go find him?"

"You can go find him. Right now."

"You're not coming?" Sam asked.

"Hawkeye still needs a contact person here. Plus, I've already let this guy shoot me twice. I'd rather not give him another chance."

"Fair enough," Steve said, putting his determined Captain America face on. "but I'm going after him. Tonight."

"Thought you'd say that," Natasha said, smiling. "So I got you a private jet. It's got international airspace clearance. Technically it's one of Fury's, but I didn't tell him who I was giving it to or why. It'll get you anywhere. "

"How is Fury managing all this without SHIELD?" Steve asked, incredulous.

"Don't dig too deep at the mystery that is the man," Natasha advised. "Anyway, here's the jet info and your international clearances. Thank the new World Security Council for that. Good luck." She turned to go. "Oh, and Steve. Be careful. He's not with hydra, but he's not Bucky anymore."

* * *

_John F. Kennedy International Airport_

Thor was traveling with Coulson, Darcy and a few bags of luggage to the peacemaking games. Special treatment was something Thor was familiar with, and the Midgardian airport was no exception. He was whisked past security and straight to a private terminal with Coulson and a few security people, plus Darcy bopping along with her music and comic book patterned backpack. She'd wanted to come to see Thor in diplomatic action, and Thor thought it would be fun for them both to have her along.

Thor was very interested in catching up with Coulson, who'd been having quite an eventful life since Thor last saw him. He talked about his new team a bit and some of the stranger things they'd encountered along the way.

Thor was especially interested in the berserker staff Coulson had found.

"That was the first warning sign we saw. Once some people got a hold of the staff, they felt a sense of superiority over everyone else. Since then, we've seen a surprising number of groups sprouting up in Europe with very aggressive claims."

"What kind of claims are being made?"

"Some nations claim they have right to territory they've never governed before. Some country's want more seats in the UN, more stock in the world bank. A few sub-national groups are making claims of superiority; they think they should be governing the planet in tandem with you."

"I would support no such arrangement."

"We know that. But they don't, and the world is frightened. Making friends with everyone except those countries and politicians claiming higher status would make a huge impact."

"That was my intention. Who do you recommend I speak to first?"

"There is a family coming to the games. They'd like to set an example for the rest of the Scandinavian countries. We'd really appreciate it if you shook hands with them quite a bit."

"What is their name?"

"Gerardus. Glenn Gerardus. He's bringing his two sons, who will inherit his position and his estate. Very influential, wealthy people. Gerardus is the nicest person I've met in a long time, and he's very keen on keeping the conflict to a minimum."

Thor hoped Coulson was right. He wasn't sure he could handle the guilt of causing yet another episode of violence in this realm.

They got Thor settled at the hotel on the game grounds. He was in the room between Darcy and Coulson, a large luxurious suite. He could hear Darcy through the walls making exclamations over the size of the bathroom. He could see the large quad where the games would be held from his room. There was a large stadium and a pavilion to view the games from, as well as a special section surrounding the perimeter of the field for each participating to set up camp. Asgard would not have a spot of its own. Thor had decided it would send the wrong message to present Asgard as its own nation.

He still had a day before the opening ceremony. Most of the world leaders had already arrived, and there was a dinner tonight for them that Thor was expected to attend as the guest of honor.

Apparently, the theme this year was 'history'. Everyone was to come in their country's historical garb, to show the history of their nation. Thor had elected to show up in his leather shawl and armor, rather than his red cape. He didn't want to be too flashy.

As dinner approached, Darcy and Coulson came over to walk down with Thor. Darcy was in a beautiful floor length blue gown and Coulson was in a tux and bowtie. Subtle but nice. He wouldn't be eating at the dinner, but watching the proceedings for Thor. Thor had donned his armor and his shawl. He hesitated to leave Mjolnir in the room but, "No one can steal it," Coulson assured him. He was right of course.

The dining hall was huge and decorated in a collage of different cultural pieces. Each nation that had chosen to attend was represented. Thor picked out a few designs that looked Asgardian, near the tables of Northern Europe. He would be sitting near them. The variation of clothing and appearances was amazing. Asgard was not this diverse, Thor thought.

"To your right at the table, that will be Gerardus. I've had the seating arrangement put together so that Gerardus will be closest to you and the French representative to your left."

"Thank you, Son of Coul."

Thor was announced and the crowd of people turned to clap politely. The buzz of chatter in the hall increased tenfold. Thor was used to being the center of attention, and handled the crowd easily. He moved smoothly to his spot at the table and made to shake hands with Gerardus immediately.

Gerardus was a large man with a handsome, aged face. He was immediately likable. He had shoulder length hair and Thor noted his clothes: robes similar to Asgard, and animal furs. Clasps of silver with Asgardian symbols etched on them. Most likely a fan of Asgard, then. He shook Thor's hand firmly and smiled a large, genuine smile.

"It is a pleasure, Thor of Asgard."

"Likewise, Glenn Gerardus. I am looking forward to our friendship."

"As am I. May I please introduce my family. This is my son, Richard, my eldest. And here," he nodded to a son of equal stature and close in age, "is Robert, my second eldest."

Both sons were dressed in robes and furs like their father and had strong handsome faces. Thor was complimentary and tried not to think to hard about Loki.

Dinner was a droll affair. Thor and Gerardus spoke very briefly about politics, but Gerardus made it clear he supported peace and would work with Thor and Coulson in any way he could.

"My sons are eager to help as well."

Thor considered both his sons. Both looked very much like small Asgardians themselves wearing robes and furs. They were stoic faced and gave Thor a look that he interpreted as determination.

"I would appreciate that very much," Thor said to them.

Dancing followed dinner, and Thor was obliged to dance with several wives of politicians and dukes and so on before he could excuse himself. Darcy popped up at his shoulder at the end of the waltz.

"Thor, your majesty, or whatever. You're needed in the study."

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me," Thor detangled himself from the duchess of something or other and followed Darcy to a side room off the dining hall.

"I thought sending Darcy would be more prudent than trying to pull the duchess off you myself," Coulson greeted.

"Yes, thank you for your assistance."

"We do have some business to attend to. Gerardus is waiting in the study for you."

Thor greeted Gerardus and his two sons again.

"We're anticipating some issues," Gerardus began. "There is already some talk that you've been paying too much attention to certain countries."

"I've danced with every representative, shaken hands with every man. Is there more I can do?"

Coulson jumped in. "We've just been discussing the best way to diffuse the situation. Perhaps simply playing this game is the issue."

"We're proposing that perhaps you focus on the smaller nations," Gerardus explained. "This dinner was a good test run, and it showed us that no matter what you do, any interaction you have with the bigwigs in there will cause some controversy. Best to separate yourself entirely to avoid conflict."

"We're hoping to introduce you to a few of the smaller nations, some of the developing countries that are making an appearance," Coulson explained. "If you can spend some time with them tomorrow during the opening ceremony, more than you do with the US or Europe, it may help diffuse the tension we've seen tonight."

Thor was a bit nervous. For all his political experience, he hadn't detected any tension. Perhaps in a world were power could be bought rather than inherited, things were done differently. He would need to learn quickly.

"Also," Coulson added, "there's been a security issue at the check in gate. Apparently a package that may or may not have been a home made bomb was recovered in the garage. It looked like a bunch of piece of C-3PO if you ask me, but they're concerned. Your getting extra security until it's been resolved."

"Of course," Thor said, wondering what a C-3PO was.

* * *

_Somewhere over the Mid Atlantic _

Steve was suited up with Sam next to him in the cargo hold of former SHIELD plane. He checked the GPS again. Bucky was in Macedonia and hadn't moved in a while. According to the GPS history, he had been in DC for a little while. Steve had chased him that night. Bucky had stayed in town another day before suddenly taking off for Macedonia.

"How is he traveling?" Sam had asked.

"I don't know. But the fact that he can travel means he's going to be hard to pin down."

Steve didn't know what he'd do once he actually found Bucky. Would Bucky run or attack? Would he wait around long enough for Steve to talk him down? What would Steve even say?

Sam glanced at the GPS again.

"What I'm confused about his how Hawkeye stole this from hydra," he said, scrolling through the GPS history.

"He didn't steal it, he's just hooking us into hydra's GPS," Steve said, remember what Widow had told him.

Sam looked at him hard for a moment. "Steve, have you thought about what that means?"

Steve stopped adjusting his gloves for a moment and stared at Sam.

"Hydra knows his location too."

"Yeah, and we might be walking into a hydra meeting right now."

"Or it's like Natasha said, and they're after Bucky too."

"Then we gotta get to him first. We really, really need to get to him first."

"Shit."

* * *

Notes:

Hope you liked this one! It's a little slow, I know. But I'm trying to set things up for some action soon. And I promise the boring made up political drama with Thor will become relevant soon. Also holding out hope for a couple more OCs to join the party.


	4. Chapter 3 Coulson and Robots

Here's the newest chapter. Action and stuff!

_Peacemaking Games_

The opening ceremony was a huge success. Thor used mjolnir to ring the gong that started the games. It was a hit with the crowd. Dancing and music performances from each nation follow as part of the opening celebration, and the organizers made some speeches. Thor said a few words about how wonderful and beautiful Midgard was, words he genuinely meant, and then it was over.

"There's a few speeches and performances still, and then we need to meet after dinner."

"Will Gerardus be meeting as well?"

"I don't know. Frankly, promoting your friendship with him has backfired in a big way. So being seen with him or being caught sneaking around may be detrimental to all the PR you did today."

"I am disheartened by this situation. I had no idea these countries would be so sensitive to my presence."

"We're a delicate species. In fact, every time a meteor hits the earth we have to start life all over again," Coulson quipped. "If not for the mosquitos…"

"I don't understand," Thor said, looking perplexed.

"Sorry," Coulson said, smiling. "It's a reference. Couldn't help myself. Don't worry Mr. Odinson, this isn't my first rodeo."

Everyone had dinner in the dining hall again. Thor took in all the different food smells and the combination of languages mixing in the dining hall. He loved the different clothing and colors of each country. Asgard lacked the creativity and diversity of Midgard. Thor had a newfound appreciation for the minds of mortals as he gazed about the room.

"Pretty incredible, isn't it?" Coulson said, leaning over his shoulder. "All these cultures in one room."

"I wish I could visit their homelands. I have seen so little of this realm."

"I'll talk to Hill. I think it would be a great PR move."

Gerardus was far more chatty at dinner, joking with Thor and several other representatives. He was in a good mood after hearing that several countries were ending their campaigns for power and territory.

"It makes me sad that something like your visit can cause so many people to become power hungry in the first place," Gerardus was saying. "I'm honestly embarrassed. I know the leaders of Earth can do better."

"Do not be embarrassed. You would have cringed at my own leadership skills only a few years ago. Asgardians do not inherently possess a better or wiser mind than any other beings of the realms."

"That's quite nice of you to say, but it is a bit sad how easily we fall into conflict."

Thor wasn't disagreeing with Gerardus, but he was also hopeful that this could be overcome. He was only just beginning to realize how much of an impact the presence of Asgard was on Midgard's way of life. To him the idea of other realms was as familiar as any, but to Midgardians it was a terrifying concept only thought of as fantasy. Until he came along.

He thought Odin was a bit inconsiderate in sending him here without thinking of the impact it would have an seven billion people.

A security agent approached Gerardus at the table.

"I'm sorry sir, but there is a Ms. Summers at the entrance with an invitation from you. Unfortunately, it is not signed. Did you authorize her as a guest?"

"What? Oh, yes. Yes, I asked her to come, very last minute kind of thing. Here, let me sign that."

"Very good, sir."

"And could you please tell her that I will meet with her around eight, after dinner is over."

"Right away."

"Sorry about that," Gerardus said, waving off a wine refill. "I'm hoping to speak with the representative from India, but I don't know him at all. I've called in a friend as a go between. Very last minute stuff. We're desperate to make friends."

Thor nodded.

"I've met with fifteen people today, talked about SHIELD disbanding, your presence here, the necessity to come together for a joint statement to the world, blah blah blah," Gerardus waved his fork. "So far, its going well. I'm just hung up on a few countries. But we're making progress."

Thor had to admit, he was a bit frustrated in that moment. Coulson and his advisors had not allowed Thor to do any serious work since he arrived. He simply wandered around making appearances and shaking hands.

"I've yet to meet the representative of India, though I was offered some delicious food from his country earlier today. Should I speak with him this evening?"

Coulson appeared out of thin air. "The representative of India had to be persuaded to come at all. He's very reluctant to get involved in all this political controversy. We'd better tread carefully on this one. Let me talk to the experts about the best way to approach him. We may want to use a middleman ourselves."

Thor once again was obliged to socialize and dance with various representatives after dinner. He didn't mind so much, except that he felt his time was being wasted. He wanted to do sit down with each person one on one and tell them frankly what he intended. He didn't see how any of this social posturing would reassure the people of Midgard that he was here to protect them.

Coulson left briefly to deal with an 'issue at the gate', and Thor danced for a while more. He was just finishing a dance with a French ambassador when he noticed Gerardus and his sons sneaking out a side entrance. Thor excused himself from his dance partner and followed.

Thor knew it was probably nothing, but he was so frustrated with promoting his image rather than solving problems that he was willing to eavesdrop on Gerardus. Thor wanted to be as involved as Gerardus seemed to be.

It took Thor a while to convince his security guards he didn't need them following him. He snuck around until he found a balcony above a side room, where he could look down at Gerardus and his meeting.

"Summers, I'm so sorry to make this request at the last minute. I know it isn't easy for you to pick up and leave your work at a moment's notice."

Gerardus was greeting a woman, maybe mid twenties or younger.

"You look like you've walked straight out of the Serengeti into this living room."

"Just about, I came from a bush plane to your jet, and straight here. I'm sorry I'm a bit dusty."

She was small but sturdy looking. She had on a khaki utility vest with loaded pockets over a tank top. Cargo pants tucked into worn combat boots caked in mud. Bandana around her neck. A slouched leather belt. Thor recognized a few knives tucked away here and there. A big canvas backpack on her back. Dirt under her nails and fingerless gloves. Olive skin with a tan that looked like it came from long hours in the sun. A plain face, but pleasant. She had a strange hodgepodge of jewelry and accessories, obviously from a variety of cultures. And she _was_ a bit dusty, Thor noticed.

"Please, sit down and let me get you something to drink. Rob, take her bag will you?"

She greeted both his sons affectionately. They seemed to know each other outside of work. She made a comment about Richard's beard that sent everyone into laughter.

Thor listened while Gerardus gave her the rundown of the politics. He cringed when Gerardus mentioned him.

"He's very nice. Everything they told us about him is true, he is very friendly towards Earth. But of course, the very idea of an advanced alien culture has sent the whole planet into a political free-for-all. You can imagine what has happened now that Scandinavian mythology has turned out to be based on truth. The whole peninsula is a mess. I'm frankly surprised they're acting this way. As if Thor's presence gives them any right to govern over, say, Portugal. But that's how these radical groups see it."

"India will be a bit tricky for you," Summers said. "I know the representative well, he's a nice guy, but he's very worried about dragging the Indian government into this. You're at the heart of it, Gerardus, and I can't downplay that. There just isn't a way. But I'll talk to him tomorrow. He likes you, I know that. Thinks very highly of you."

The conversation turned to other countries and Thor listened as Summers gave Gerardus advice on every country she seemed to know about. She also gave him advise on proper customs and language tips.

"Are you sure," Gerardus asked after nearly thirty minutes, "that you don't need to return to your work?"

"It's no problem, really. I'm actually quite excited to see the games. And my work was at a good stopping point for now. We've just finished a big project for UNICEF. I honestly could use a break."

Thor nearly gave himself away from his spot on the balcony when his phone buzzed. He hurried out of the room and back towards his security detail before answering.

"Thor, where are you? There's a situation here and we need you in your room. We think we might have a security breach."

"I can help, where is the attack?"

"No, no, its fine. They can handle it. We just need you in a safe place so we can focus on the other guests."

"Fine. I will go back to my room now. I have mjolnir with me should I need it."

"Please try to avoid fighting, the situation is delicate enough as it –"

Coulson cut off suddenly.

"Phillip?"

"Ok, we've got a situation, get mjolnir."

"What is happening?"

"Get mjolnir and keep your eyes open for the robot."

"Where is lady Darcy?"

"I don't know. Of course, a robot, what else? Why do I always end up on jobs with supernatural, super advanced robot things? Cover the left!"

"I will find Darcy and take her to our rooms. Do you need assistance?"

"Shit! It just left. Thor, its loose on the grounds!"

"What is. What enemy did you see?" Thor asked, running towards the dining hall where he hoped Darcy was waiting. An alarm starting blaring. Someone had pulled the fire alarm in the main hall.

"It was the destroyer. Or C-3PO. I'm not sure but it definitely didn't look Midgardian to me."

"The destroyer was vanquished in New Mexico, I ended it - "

Thor had to eat his words, because standing in front of him in the doorway to the dining hall was a large robot. It was nearly identical to the destroyer, although not the same.

"This is what you call the C-3PO?"

"Do you have eyes on it? You need to destroy it!"

Thor threw mjolnir as hard as he could. The machine dodged it easily and mjolnir lodged itself in the far wall of the dining hall. People screamed as it impacted.

_This doesn't bode well_, Thor thought.

_Macedonia_

When they finally landed it was midnight in Macedonia.

Steve looked at the GPS again. They were at least thirty minutes from Bucky's location. They had just landed at a private airstrip, probably a remnant SHIELD facility.

Sam was standing on the tarmac looking around.

"I don't know man, I don't like how this feels."

"Let's hope we've got the jump on hydra. This'll be easier if they're not looking for us."

Steve carried the GPS equipment and his shield, and Sam picked up his suit. Their second pilot was checking them in at the counter, arguing with a Macedonian man over paperwork.

"Any issues?"

"No Captain, just trying to figure out which ID number they want."

"Which one are you using?"

"One Romanoff had for us. It's not SHIELD associated sir, its registered to a millionaire from Dubai."

"Good."

Steve didn't want to say it out loud, but Sam was right. The air was so still here, almost too still. And he felt like there were eyes on him.

"I'm just going to say it one more time, I don't like the feel of this. The sooner we get on the road –"

"Get down!" Steve shoved Sam to the ground as a blast rocked them.

The plane was fine, but the car they were about to get into was a fireball. Gunfire started around them. Steve got his SHIELD up and covered Sam as they ran for cover into the security building.

The building was more like a tollbooth, with barely enough room for four people and paper thin walls.

"This isn't good man!" Sam shouted over the noise. "Our weapons are still on the plane."

"If they damage the plane we've got no way to get out of here," Steve said, taking a brief peak over the front counter to see if he had a visual on anyone.

"We don't have a way out of here now! Did you notice the bullets on all sides?"

Steve knew this was bad. He could take on armed men, but with bullets coming from 360 degrees he wouldn't last ten seconds outside the building.

"You have your suit?"

"Yeah, and my glock, but that's it. If I take off now they'll shoot me down. Won't last ten second."

"Me either."

"Can you call for backup?"

"You know anyone in Macedonia?"

"Don't be a smartass, I'm trying to help!"

Steve considered just making a run for it towards the nearest person he could see and trying to take their weapon. He peaked his head up again for another look.

Glass shattered and cut his face. They were truly surrounded. Bullets at all sides. Plus he couldn't actually see anyone in the dark.

Suddenly there was a gun in Steve's face. Someone had gotten close enough to stick their weapon inside the shattered window. Steve batted it away with his shield, hit the guy in the face, and tried to take his weapon. As he stood up to use it, he realized he was face to face with another gun.

_Pop!_

The man in front of him fell forward with a bullet hole in the back of his head. The first pilot was standing at the door to the plane, giving suppressing fire. Steve jumped up and tried to aim at the vague shapes of the hydra agents in the dark. That's when he saw the bazooka.

"Shit!"

"What?"

"Bazooka."

"No, no way, no. This is not happening. I am not dying in a country I just learned existing yesterday. This is not how I'm gonna go."

Steve was genuinely at a loss. They would be blown to bits any second. He put himself between Sam and the direction the bazooka was coming from and put his shield up. They'd have to just ride it out. Maybe the other pilot could take out the bazooka first…..

Steve waited, but nothing happened. In fact, the noise was decreasing.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. I don't hear any suppressing fire."

Steve took a chance and looked over the counter again to see. He looked up just in time to see someone take out the bazooka guy with a kick to the face, pick up the bazooka, and fire it towards the group of hydra agents to Steve's left. Then they disappeared, reappearing seconds later on the other side of the plane to take out four more hydra agents.

Steve ducked back down and looked at Sam. "I don't know, but there's someone out there taking out hydra agents like its picnic in the park."

"First of all, that's not a saying. Second, do you actually know anyone in Macedonia? Because I already suggested calling for help and you shut me down."

"Who would I know in Macedonia?" Steve started, "I don't have any friends in…."

Steve stopped short and gave Sam a look.

"Barnes?" Sam asked, realizing what Steve was thinking.

"I'm not sure, honestly it didn't look like him. But I don't know who else it could be."

"Really?" came a voice from above and behind Steve's head. "You don't know another person, not a single person, who could save your ass? You know, like me?"

Steve and Sam startled and turned, and were staring straight into the face of Clint Barton. "It's not like a need to be thanked, but I did come all the way up here just to save your ass from a bazooka. And I'm not about to give the credit to Barnes."

"Barton!"

"Yes," Hawkeye replied sarcastically. "Correct, now lets go."

Steve saw the bow. He hadn't heard any return fire, and now he knew why. Arrows were silent.

"How did you find us?"

"Nat told me you were headed up here, and there were some complications. I knew you'd run into a welcome party. You still have the GPS?"

"Yeah, right here."

"Who is this guy?" Barton asked, looking at Sam with a cocked eyebrow.

"This is Sam Wilson, he's a friend of mine. He helped –"

"Crash the hydra killing machines into the Potomac, right. She said you did some nice work on that one."

"Thanks."

"Where have you been?" Steve asked, a little incredulous that Hawkeye was actually standing in front of him. He'd barely heard a word about the guy since New York.

"Focus Cap, we've got bigger issues. Hydra only has so many men in country right now, but they'll send more as soon as they realize you've escaped this welcome wagon. You've got to move."

"Did they reach Bucky?"

"I don't know. I just got here myself. It depends how many units they have in country. If we're lucky, this was all of their men and we've got some time."

"If not?" Sam asked.

"If not, then the other units probably deployed to find Barnes. They may have caught up to him already. We can't be sure."

"Then we need to go," Steve said, grabbing his shield.

"You have the GPS, follow it. And be prepared to run into hydra on the way. We've got to assume they're everywhere. This is priority number one for them right now."

"You're not coming, are you?" Steve realized.

"He's got places to be."

Natasha was walking towards them, sniper rifle over he shoulder and a grin on her face. Just a supermodel with a gun, nothing new.

"You're here too?"

"What? Was I not invited?"

"You're always invited," Sam offered. Hawkeye and Nat just deadpanned a stare at him.

"Ok, so you and Barton just showed up to save us from the hydra welcome party and you're taking off again? You're not concerned we might need backup finding Bucky?"

"Look Steve, if you move fast enough you'll get to Barnes before hydra sends reinforcement. So hurry, and you won't need backup."

"Fine, but give me some way to stay in contact with you."

"Got it covered," Clint said, handing Steve a phone. "Secure line, our numbers are in there. Only call if it is an actual emergency."

"God, you and your gadgets," Natasha said, pulling him away by the arm. "We have to jet off. Go hotwire one of those cars over there and get moving. Be careful, Steve. Sam."

"Yes, ma'am," Sam replied.

And they were gone.

_Peacemaking Games_

C-3POs were crafty, Thor thought. This one was particularly good at dodging him, and he was struggling to get a hit in. Coulson was right, this was Asgardian technology. Actually this looked a lot like tesseract technology, but Thor didn't want to think about that right now. Too many bad implications.

The dining hall was emptied out, and Thor was trying to keep the machine from leaving and putting anyone else at risk. He knew Coulson and the rest of the security team was on their way. He was worried they would not handle this machine and would be seriously injured.

Thor maneuvered the machine into a corner and tried to pin it down. He threw a bolt of lightening at it, which seemed quite effective. The machine started smoking and seemed to stutter.

Suddenly Coulson and the other security staff showed up, guns and other weapons raised. The machine seemed to weigh its options, looking back and forth between Thor and the rest of the security staff. Thor raised his hammer again and made to smash the chest of the robot before it could attack anyone else.

The machine was faster than him, though, and dodged his hammer again. It made a run for it down the hall, Thor and the rest hot on its heels.

_Crash!_

The machine took off up into the air, straight through the ceiling. Thor began to spin his hammer to go after it, but Coulson stopped him.

"Wait! There could be more. You're the only one with the weaponry to fight them."

Thor realized he was right.

"We have air support on the way. They'll take care of that one," Coulson said.

Gerardus and his sons came bursting into the dining hall with a handful of other representatives and Summers, armed and looking tense. Thor thought it was an odd sight, all these wealthy people in historical clothing carrying firearms.

"Please, return to your rooms, and we will let you know when the situation is resolved," the security team was shouting, ushering the representatives back. Gerardus and his sons approached Coulson and got the story on the robot. Thor sat debating for a moment before following the rest of the security team out of the dining hall to look for any more attackers.

They scoured the pavilion, every country's camp site, the stadium, and all the floors of the hotel where the representatives slept, but found no sign of another C-3PO. Darcy was alright, having grabbed the representative of Hungary and hiding under a table in a side room during most of the fight.

"By the time air support got here, there was no sign of the thing," Coulson said as they walked back to the main building. "I should have let you go after it when we had the chance."

"I doubt we've seen the last of it," Thor said, a grim expression on his face. "You will need to keep keen eyes out for any sign of its return."

"Agreed. And we're adding extra security and imposing a few more safety measures. We'll be keeping the representatives indoors after dark and moving them all into the same hotel building to keep it easier to protect them."

"Very good," Thor said, setting mjolnir down and slouching at a wooden table in the dining hall. Workers were already quietly tidying up the mess he and the machine had created.

"You look tired," Coulson said, giving Thor an understanding look. "You should take the night off. The representatives are being asked to stay in their respective camps tonight anyway, nobody to impress right now."

"Thank you, I will," Thor said, giving Coulson a genuine smile. The man was a good person and a very good friend.

_Macedonia_

Steve had the GPS streaming a precise location to his phone, which he had out in front of him.

"We're only about 5 miles away," he said, watching the traffic from the passenger seat.

"Yeah, well, this car was not made for these roads. Let's hope hydra has crappy suspension too or we might not beat them."

"Assuming they're not already there," Steve said grimly.

"I'm no expert, but if hydra already had Barnes, I don't know why they'd just chill in the middle of nowhere in Macedonia with him."

Steve checked is phone again. It was becoming a nervous habit.

"This is leading us off road, into those woods up there," he pointed up a hillside. "Up that hill. Must be where Bucky camped out."

"That is a small mountain, not a 'hill'" Sam corrected, looking less than thrilled at the idea of climbing it.

They drove a few more minutes before pulling over. "On foot from here," Steve said. "You bringing the suit?"

"Depends. How badly do you want air support?"

"Bring the suit," Steve said. He was trying to be realistic when he knew he was probably emotionally compromised.

Sam geared up and they started off up the mountain/hill. Steve followed the GPS northwest towards a ridge with another bluff ("cliff, Steve, that's a cliff") where he couldn't see far enough to detect any activity.

Once they reached an open enough area, Steve turned to Sam, "Might be the best place for you to take to the air. We've got comms, you can tell me if you see anything ahead."

"Sure thing," Sam said. "Bustin' out the wings."

He opened up the suit and took off towards the dark skyline. It was 2am and the stars were out. Steve could just make out Sam's suit above him.

"Ok, I got a reading here that looks like people. Multiple. But I don't see any signs of a fight."

"Could be a house, or a hotel," Steve offered.

"Negative, no structures. Just heat signatures. Hey wait, there's a plane or something parked there. I think somebody beat us here, Cap."

Steve started running, dodging between trees and up the hill towards the GPS location. It became more accurate as he got closer, and he could see Bucky was moving. Fast.

"Any sign of a fight yet?"

"Hard to tell, I'll have to get closer."

"Be careful."

Almost a full minute passed. Steve was nearly there. Bucky was half a mile away. That was nothing.

He heard it before Sam told him.

"We have shots fired. I'm guessing hydra's here. Cap, you gotta be careful, its raining bullets down there."

"Do you see Bucky?"

"They're shooting towards someone at your eight o'clock. If Bucky's here that's gotta be him."

"Do they have a visual on you?"

"Negative, not yet."

"Stay out of sight, I need you to surprise them. Give me a minute."

Steve was armed enough to deal with a few hydra agents at a time, but not an army of them. This would take some strategy. Not to mention Bucky was out there somewhere, and there was no way to know what he might do when he saw Steve.

"Cap, there's a big group headed to your eleven o'clock, and Bucky's about thirty yards ahead of them."

"I'm going to cut them off, and you need to go take the plane. We need to draw them back to the aircraft and try to give Bucky a chance to get away."

"Copy that."

Steve could see the group of hydra now, and he could see Bucky's red dot moving incredibly fast through the woods ahead of them. He started sprinting through the woods to get ahead of the group.

Shots were ringing out around him. He could even hear wood splintering. Steve suddenly flashed back to a firefight mid War, Bucky next to him, the Commandos following. Steve could almost see Dum Dum to his left, waving Pinky in front of him and shooting Cap victorious grin.

Steve saw the front of the hydra agent hoard. They were about to start spreading out to flank Bucky, although Steve didn't yet have a visual. He was running out of time. He opened fire on the first agent and he went down. Shouting erupted.

"Ok, Sam, now would be a great time to create a distraction."

"Got it."

Not two seconds later the sound of an explosion rocked the air. A fireball went up behind Steve. The hydra group was scattered. Some turned back towards the plane, others spread out to find Steve, who was picking them off as he sprinted back and forth.

He thought there had been fifteen when he got there, and he was already seeing only seven remaining. He hadn't had the chance to check the GPS, but Bucky was nowhere to be found.

_Probably for the best_, Steve thought to himself. He still had no idea what to do if he actually came face to face with the man. The last time he'd seen him was on the helicarrier plunging towards the ground, fist raised to finish Steve off.

Falcon showed up and took out the last of the hydra agents with Steve. It took them a while, a short back and forth firefight.

"We need to get back to that plane," Sam said, landing next to Steve. "There's some hydra intel on there we should grab."

"I thought you blew it up."

"Nah, just all their ammo."

Steve and Sam trekked back to the plane and Sam set out grabbing as much intel off the hard drive as he could and uploading it to the tablet Hawkeye gave them.

"Look, there's a ton of stuff on the Winter Soldier program. This looks new. We may be able to use this."

"Great, take it all," Steve said as he and Sam walked out of the plane.

"Here's the GPS program they've been using to track him. And more info on his arm. Huh. Well, there's a lot on the memory stuff in here too. Details. This wasn't in the original file we got."

"Well, we're going to need all of it. Was that their only GPS link? Or will they still be able to track him?"

"Looks like they've got a direct satellite feed. They can pull up his location from any computer of theirs. Which looks like….." Sam trailed off.

Steve turned to look at Sam.

"Oh my god, Steve…."

Sam looked up at Steve and then past him into the woods. Steve turned to see what it was.

Bucky was standing barely fifteen feet from him, just a silhouette against the trees. His face was only half shadowed, and Steve could see his eyes. His body language was tense. His eyes glared at Steve with anger and confusion.

"Bucky….?"

And he was gone again.

Ok guys, here it is! Soooooo, if anyone has any song suggestions for Bucky/Winter Soldier I need some inspiration, because guess who's getting a POV in some upcoming chapters! Hope you like this one. I'd love some reviews, let me know what you want to see more of in the future chapters, I'll try to work it in for you.


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